Show strain, present for example in court (5,2)
I believe the answer is:
tense up
'show strain' is the definition.
(to tense up is to show stress or strain)
'present for example in court' is the wordplay.
'present for example' becomes 'tense' (present tense).
'in court' becomes 'up' ('up' can mean called before a court).
'tense'+'up'='TENSE UP'
(Other definitions for tense up that I've seen before include "Become stiff through stress or anxiety" , "become edgy" , "become uneasy" .)